The present invention relates to a closing device, for use in an article of furniture having furniture components including a furniture body and a drawer slidable in opposite directions into and out of the furniture body, for moving the drawer to a fully inserted position within the furniture body. The present invention also relates to an article of furniture including the furniture body and the drawer and incorporating such closing device.
Modern drawers normally are provided with pull-out guide assemblies on each of opposite sides of the drawer, each such pull-out guide assembly including a supporting rail on the furniture body and a pull-out rail on the drawer. The pull-out guide assemblies are designed to ensure that the movement of the drawer into and out of the furniture body will be as easy and as smooth as possible. Conventionally, rollers, balls or slides are provided for transmitting the load of the drawer from the pull-out rails to the supporting rails of the furniture body. Such arrangements are adapted to the requirements of a particular drawer with respect to smoothness of operation and loading capacity.
It has been found that a drawer that has been moved to a closed position sometimes will not be in its fully closed or rear end position, i.e. fully inserted into the furniture body, such that a front plate or end of the drawer projects from the furniture body. As a result, it is possible for persons to bump against the front of the drawer, and consequently damage to the drawer or injury to such persons may occur. Projection of the front plate of the drawer from the front of the furniture body may occur when the drawer has been pushed into the furniture body without care or not to the full extent. Also, when the drawer has been pushed into the furniture body with too much energy, the drawer may again roll forwardly or rebound because of such excessive energy.
A closing device for a drawer is disclosed in British patent specification 1,117,071, wherein there is provided a tilting member or part which is movable between two end positions. The tilting member is acted upon by a coil spring and thereby is urged into respective of the end positions after having moved past a dead center position. The tilting member is fastened to a side wall of the furniture body, and the drawer is provided with a driving pin member which is inserted into a notch or slot in the tilting member during an end portion of the path of movement of the drawer. The driving pin member then moves the tilting member past the dead center position, whereupon the tilting member itself pulls the driving pin member and thus the drawer toward the rear of the furniture body under the action of the coil spring.